1 valve

Nick Morris becoming available if Brum can be bothered to try something to improve results. Dare say he’ll be putting in plenty of practice at Leicester to get up to some sort of reliable pace.

No problem agreeing that limited race nights are not ideal. However with Poland holding most of the cards (& best riders contracts) there’s no point at this moment in challenging/changing that particular situation as too many riders would be lost to the UK. But it could happen over time should UK begin to gain support from sponsors/tv/riders & fans alike. One of the issues effecting crowd levels is the situation where a team can go weeks without a home fixture thus failing to create traction with fans by having regular weekly meetings. This issue would be addressed by at least having a meeting once a week. and of course not everybody could race on Saturdays Change has got to start somewhere and evolution rather than revolution would be the preferred way forward and much better than the current stagnation. Plus the right promoters having the right reasons (& desire) to bring about the change.

No not at all. Change is required and that change has to be with both short term (i.e. what can be done now) and longer term (i.e where we want to finish up) objectives. To start with. 1. Do away with doubling up. We know this is in place so that the current number of promotions can field teams. Problem is, this undermines the credibility of the sport. So clearly less number of teams will be required. 2. Recognise that fixed race nights are for now a necessary evil. This may be expanded if and when the "super League" creates traction with media, fans and riders alike as something going in the right direction. 3. Currently there is the availability of credible riders to form eight/nine teams. Make this the number of full time professional clubs for the "Super League". Each of these teams to meet 2H&2A in a season. Two meetings per week 1H&1A Subject to weather etc. This should provide for a 16/18 week season. 4. The promotions of the "Super League" should meet strict criteria such as track availability and long term viability for starters. 5. Those promotions not in the Super League allowed to run NDL type meetings, semi pro at the most and or Individual meetings featuring riders from "Super League". Note, no alternative league should be run which purports to be close to the "Super League2 as a clear demarcation would be required. But, as I have said on many occasions, the biggest challenge facing the sport is in fact the promoters themselves, where a few (at least) continue to act first and foremost for themselves to the detriment of the good of the sport here in the UK. These folk have indeed at times kept the sport going and almost certainly believe the sport "owes them" something. So until they recognise that the sport owes them nothing (they've had their day) and begin to help rather than hinder the transition of the sport from what it is today to something more convincing and believable, we supporters are stuck with what we have - Business as usual.

The concept is good and very much alongside the numbers back in the day, when UK had pick of race nights and plenty of riders available to make up the teams which is now sadly far from the case.

If clubs elect to choose a race night say other than Monday or Tuesday, they might well be able to make up a team of riders willing to forgo commitments abroad. However, the issue would be other teams would not have the same type of availability, especially for riders contracted to Polish leagues. Not sure how you come up with 28 matches. is that a league of 14 clubs (13 opponents) home and away plus some sort of cup competition or a league of 8 (7 opponents) home and away x two? The latter would/could work (fixed race nights) but the first is a none starter simply because of the removal of doubling up.

You're right - 14 tracks with Oxford running one team. No rider would be excluded, just not available through either choice or contract restrictions elsewhere. But when UK clubs choose their desired desired race nights and their riders, they would need to consider, Tuesdays - No riders with Swedish contracts Wednesdays - No riders with Danish contracts Friday/Saturday/Sunday No riders with Polish contracts Also no doubling up Using Leicester as an example, From Mondays meeting lineup with the Tigers, should one league have run this year only one main body rider and the two reserves would have been able to commit to ride throughout the season for the Lions. I'm not against one league at all, just that if it does go ahead restricted race nights would still be required which by and large would remain as Monday & Thursday and that there will be a finite number of capable riders available to fill line ups of a much smaller number of teams (five, six or seven riders) in total than the combined Premier & Championship clubs. Its not an opinion, its just the math of the situation.

Thanks for the correction.

Currently there are 17 teams across the Premier & Championship leagues. This will be reduced to 16 next year with the loss of Birmingham. So on the basis that all other clubs will run next year, for team of five 80 riders will be required Remove doubling up, riders contracted to Ekstraliga and Danish/Swedish nationals with contracts to race in their domestic leagues that clash with UK "race nights" simply means there will be insufficient availability of riders for sixteen teams - not counting loss of riders through injury. Given the above considerations and as well as ensuring "Juniors not good enough" are not unmercifully thrown into the deep end, there would be an available pool of riders next year to make up no more than 10 teams but more likely nine. So rather than just discuss the merits of one league, maybe the discussion should consider which eight or nine team would take part - and what admission price would be considered appropriate.

And how much do you think would be a reasonable charge for an adult ticket for an event made up of 5 man teams from current championship (mostly second string or riders at the end of their career) & NDL riders?

Two clubs may not want one league for what ever their reasons, but if one league did come to pass (it wont) there will be more than two clubs required to drop out of the concept simply because of an insufficient number of riders available to make up teams for the current existing clubs. That is of course unless the sport is absolutely dumbed down beyond all recognition to have teams of 5 riders, with no English, Australian, Swedish, Danish & Polish riders from the Ekstraliga and final numbers topped up by riders from NDL level and similar.

As someone who stands on the back straight I can confirm that the attendance last evening was similar in size to most meetings. That said, when I got home and watched the recording I did notice how the crowd seemed to be low, even where we were standing which was actually almost shoulder to shoulder. Shows how tv can sometimes be misleading. Also well done to those from Sheffield who turned out to support their team noticed that a few were on the back straight but the majority took their customary place on the first bend in good numbers. Clearly fans of Live speedway.

One league could work, if that one league wasn't created based on UK speedways version of rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic. Things have just got to be different if change is going to be successful. If league/team racing is to continue and one league is desirable and doubling up is to be abolished then using the availability of competent current riders there is just about a sufficient number to make up eight teams. However, who those eight teams should be needs a lot of thinking about. Maybe four of the current Premier league promotions could cut it against a correctly formulated criteria. But to even make a start on such a review, the current group of promoters would need to put aside their own agendas/egos and bank accounts and work together in the best interest of UK speedway - this is more than probably too much to ask or expect. So although I hate to say it - Our best intentions to help the sustainability of UK speedway with ideas worthy of consideration will ultimately fall on deaf ears.

No. Just the cash🙁

No. Just the cash🙁

Spot on. it is just so very unlikely (and sad) that today’s UK promoters would go along with such a plan given the organisational structure that is the BSPA which in itself exists in a time warp.

I agree with your sentiments. However, I’m not sure this type of drastic action will work out quite as well as we would hope becoming more of a “death by a thousand cuts” rather than a cure for the problem. Preferring evolution rather than revolution I believe the best way forward would be the formation of a “Super League” carved out of the best available riders making up a max of eight teams spread evenly across the country. Such teams/promotions committing to a clearly defined programme of continued improvement to the product on offer. The remaining promotions would work to fixed (low) budgets to run semi professional events the purpose being to provide a basis for growth in riders ability and worth to the senior clubs. Of course the biggest challenge the sport faces in the UK is the self serving, self preservation of individual promoters which exists to the detriment of our beloved sport. Frankly whilst that remains the case we can debate alternatives as much as we like but to no avail. There is history of a sport bankrupt in its own right, on its knees and run by self serving owners with no future which is now so big it boasts the single richest annual sporting event held on the planet. If anybody is interested in how that was achieved by the battles won by a single person against rich & powerful egos you should look up Pete Rozelle, who without there would be no NFL and no SuperBowl.

Not enough riders even for 5 man teams if you remove “doubling up” and those riders who race in Poland who would not be able to commit to fixtures held on any other day than Monday & the occasional Thursday - Poland permitting. Example, from the existing Leicester team four riders would be lost to the UK leaving 3 riders, a rising star, a number six and one second string. Granted if you draft in NDL second strings & similar you could get close to the required number but such dumbing down of rider talent & 10 man/boys meeting lineups is not the answer.

Not enough riders for that number of teams.

How many teams?

One league, no doubling up, using riders of competitive ability based on current riders racing in UK could stretch to fielding no more than eight teams. (It’s the math). Thus two home, two away fixtures would be as current in Prem and the end of professional speedway at the majority of tracks currently operating today - maybe not a bad thing - just a reset and a welcome to the real world

That’s what there is now.

Your comments just show you know nothing of this particular matter. 1. There isn’t a “Coventry” but a body of folk fighting the cause to keep the current site “as is” 2. There is a separate group of folk who the first group are working with/alongside who have absolutely no problem with funding the development (not restoration) of a multi sports complex at Brandon. 3. A miracle is not required. Only the removal of Brandon Estates intransigence. Then the work can and will begin of the development

There is plenty of headroom in the plan for the proposed redevelopment of Brandon as a multi motor sport venue to generate sufficient profit from its operations to provide more than acceptable ROI. Please stop your absolute drivel on a matter where your ill informed opinion is totally incorrect.

I would also like the guy who announces the races/times to pronounce his “th’s” correctly so that “Gate Free” becomes “GateThree”, “sixty free point free free seconds becomes “sixty three point three three seconds” & “Fird place” becomes “third place”

Hopefully so. Because it will mean his. youngster is ok.